Dear Woodland Families,

This is a very full newsletter as we have lots of exciting things happening at Woodland School!

First, Spring Conferences are coming up Thursday, March 13. Unlike Fall Conferences, which we hold for all students, Spring Conferences are optional and reserved for those students whose teachers have concerns about academically, behaviorally, or socially. This allows for longer, more in depth conversations. Teachers will be sending home more information shortly to let families know whether they feel you need a conference or not. If you would like a conference regardless, please reach out to your child's teacher.

Second, I want to share an update regarding the nurse. As you may know, Nurse Carellas has been out on leave and has decided to extend her leave through the end of the school year. While we will certainly miss her, we are hiring a full-time replacement for the remainder of the year. Please know that our priority is to provide consistency and support for our students and families. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me, Kayla, or the Nurse Lead (Ashley Chicoine) at achicoine@stgrsd.org.

Finally, therapy dog visits start TODAY! We will be rotating classrooms so that each class will get a visit at some point during the next several weeks. Classrooms can utilize the dogs as a reading companion, a reward, or as a way to relax, and students can choose to pet or not pet the dogs. If you do not want your child to participate, please email the main office at wes_office@stgrsd.org.

Thank you for your continued support of our school community, and we hope to see you at some of our upcoming events!

Warm regards,

Emma and Kayla

February 27 - We Love Learning @5:30-7:00, Powder Mill

February 27 - Therapy Dog Visits Begin

February 28 - Barnes and Noble Night @ 5:30-8:00

March 12 - Spring Pictures

March 12 - PTO @ 3:30, Powder Mill Cafeteria

March 13 - Parent Teacher Conferences, 1/2 day for students, dismissal @ 12

March 14 - 1/2 day for all, dismissal @ 12

March 20 - School Council @ 4:15, Woodland Library

March 25 - Author Visit, Jason Lefebvre

We are wrapping up a lot of important projects in the art room at the moment. Our PTO is hosting the Barnes and Noble night this Friday, and part of this fun event will be an ART SHOW! Keep your eye out for the The Cat in the Hat, the Lorax and his Truffula trees! Students worked hard on their Dr. Seuss themed art and did a beautiful job.

In addition to Barnes and Noble Night, we are also finishing up the Square 1 Art fundraising project. Artwork will be shipped out next week, and fliers with stickers and your students code will be sent home at the end of the month! GET EXCITED!

Ms. Beebe

During the month of February, students in PE class have been participating in cooperative games. We have also been focusing on KINDNESS in class and what it looks like when participating in games and activities in P.E. class. Students played a tag game called “Chasing Kindness” and then they were placed into groups to try to form the letters of the word Kindness using their bodies to make the shapes of each letter.

We also participated in winter-themed stations and learned about different winter sledding events that are in the Olympics like bobsled, luge and skeleton. Students then used scooters in class throughout their stations to practice what it would be like to participate in those sledding events.

Students have just started paddle and racquet sports in class and are learning how to hold the equipment with a handshake grip, keeping the paddle and racquet flat, and forehand and backhand hits. They also participated in fitness-based exercises with their paddles and beanbags working on their muscular strength and endurance.
Our next unit in March will be volleyball skills.
If you have any questions, please contact me at marchambeault@stgrsd.org

Thanks,

Mr. A

Students in Digital Literacy have been busy working on many fun activities!

Second graders have started using a new robot called an Ozobot. This robot has many fun features, and they are learning how to use colors to instruct their robot to perform different actions. They are doing great and I can't wait for all the fun activities we can do with them!

First graders have started using our Sphero Mini robots. These robots are inside of a round case and they can be used to roll using many different commands. We have started getting used to controlling them and making obstacle courses for our partners to navigate. We have many fun activities to do this year with these robots as well!

Kindergartners have been using BeeBots and dry erase markers to make their own shapes! They have also started using Paint 3D to show me what tools they have learned to use in the program so far this year by drawing a picture of their favorite thing they did over winter breaks. We will also be working on more typing and some fun activities with our Coding Critters robots!

Mrs. Murray

Welcome back Woodland families!

I hope everyone had a wonderful February Break and is ready for the second half of the school year. In STEM, we have been continuing out work on habitats. A habitat is a place where something lives and has everything it needs to survive. 1st and 2nd grade have learned about 3 habitats so far: Polar Habitats, Desert Habitats, and Rainforest Habitats. Kindergarten has learned about 2 habitats so far: Polar Habitats and Rainforest Habitats.

For our rainforest habitat, we've been learning about how rainforests can be hot (tropical) or cold (temperate) but they are always wet! We've also discussed how rainforests have 4 layers: the forest floor, understory, canopy, and emergent layers. Students in 1st grade have been making handprint parrots, and students in 2nd grade worked to camouflage and hide animals in a rainforest scene.

We will be moving through one more habitat in STEM before switching to our next unit. I love hearing from parents that they've been learning fun habitat facts from their little scientists!

Mrs. Brown

Hello Woodland Families!

I can't believe it's already the end of February - this year is going by so fast! We are learning so many cool things in music class.

In Kindergarten, we've been practicing our "just right" singing voices and we'll be learning about musical opposites starting next month. We've had a chance to listen to some recordings by the Piano Guys - check out their YouTube page!

First grade students are getting ready to compose and perform some original songs, using ta, ti-ti, and rest. You can practice these rhythms and more on the Visual Musical Minds YouTube page.

In second grade, we've been learning how to play mi, so, and la on the Orff instruments and the Boomwhackers. Here's a fun way to explore music at home!

Check out February's Musician of the Month, Kevin Olusola, and keep exploring music together at home!

Mrs. Peirce

kpeirce@stgrsd.org

Picture day is coming on March 12th! You can click the button below to pre-order pictures. The prepay code is 2G8V4R7Q.

Woodland students and teachers celebrated the last day before Winter Break by playing cooperative games in the first annual Artic Antics.

Good morning,

Before anything else, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Kathleen Keady. I am the new Director of School Nutrition. I am thrilled to be here in Southwick. My first two weeks have been wonderful, and I look forward to working within the district. I come to Southwick with 30 years of experience. Please reach out with any questions or concerns you may have regarding the school lunch program.

Beginning after the winter break the Woodland café will no longer be serving the cold breakfast in the hallways. For a variety of reasons (one being, it makes extra work for you all) we will be serving the hot and cold breakfast options in the cafeteria kitchen as we do at lunch. If you could direct students to the café that would be great! In addition, maybe you would like to let them know today that we will begin this after vacation. Although, I do know that most will not have school breakfast on their radar as they look forward to break.

Finally, after break we will be offering two lunch options, the hot that is on the menu, and we will alternate the yogurt lunch and the salad lunch. This will be on an every other week schedule. When we return the alternative will be the yogurt lunch.

This will lessen the confusion with chicken nuggets etc. No more chicken nuggets unless they are on the menu. I hope this will reduce the confusion that may occur.

Happy Friday! Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy winter break!

Thank you!

Kathleen

Help our school earn money for supplies. It's as easy as downloading the app and scanning your receipt. Start collecting box tops today!

Woodland School is excited to announce that enrollment for kindergarten for the 2025-2026 academic year is now open. Families with children who will be five years old on or before September 1, 2025, are encouraged to register their child by May 1, 2025. Early registration ensures eligibility for the Kindergarten Screenings, scheduled to take place on May 29 and 30, 2025.

How to Enroll To begin the enrollment process and learn more about the requirements, you can tap the picture above or visit the Woodland School enrollment page at:

https://www.stgrsd.org/community/enrollment

The enrollment page includes detailed information about necessary documentation and the steps to complete the registration process. Families are encouraged to complete all required forms promptly to secure their spot in this exciting program.

Don’t miss this important milestone in your child’s education! For questions or assistance with enrollment, please contact Woodland School at 413-569-6598 or WES_Office@stgrsd.org.

We look forward to welcoming your family to Woodland School and partnering with you in your child’s educational journey.

If you know families with kindergarten-aged children, please spread the word about this important opportunity!

Food services is looking for part-time substitutes in the school kitchens. Substitute positions may lead to permanent positions. If interested in applying, please email the Director of School Nutrition

Kkeady@stgrsd.org. We look forward to hearing from you.

Woodland School needs substitutes for the 24-25 school year. Being a substitute offers great flexibility, because you can choose the days you want to work! When teachers are absent, they leave the substitute a detailed lesson plan to follow. Interested? Have questions? Give us a call at 413-569-6598 or apply online: https://www.stgrsd.org/departments/human_resources/employment_opportunities.